SUMMARY:

Hands at Work in Africa (hereafter Hands at Work) will use FY 2008 PEPFAR funds to provide a holistic

package of basic services to OVC, including increased access to educational support and social services

through community-based programs in four provinces. The specific target population is orphans and

vulnerable children and the major emphasis area is local organization capacity building.

BACKGROUND:

Established in 2002, Hands At Work (HAW) is a South African NGO that provides comprehensive care and

support services to OVC and their families through a network of associated community-based organizations

(CBOs). Hands at Work has a vision to reach 100,000 OVC by 2010 in sub-Sahara Africa. The Hands at

Work model, and in particular, the Masoyi project, (described by various independent organizations as a

best practice model) lends itself towards mobilizing new community initiatives in resource-poor settings. It

model builds on the foundation of home-based care and local community ownership by mobilizing the local

church to accept the biblical mandate to look after the sick and the dying in their communities and to care

for the orphans. Hands at Work helps to establish, encourage and build capacity in CBOs that are formed

out of local churches that agree to implement the Masoyi Community Intervention Model. With PEPFAR

funding Hands at Work has reached 6500 OVC and over 1200 caregivers with an integrated service

package that includes education, psychosocial and nutrition assistance. With FY 2008 funding, Hands At

Work will continue to increase the program's reach and extend additional support to established care

centers to provide support groups for young mothers, facilitate reintegration of young mothers into schools;

ensure OVC access to counseling and testing and ARV treatment, when needed; train and mentor

Community Child Care Forums (CCCFs) and provide life skills and prevention education for all

beneficiaries. In addition, Hands At Work will also continue to implement income-generating initiatives,

home-based care and resilience-building programs to further support improved security and livelihoods for

children. The Hands at Work program is aligned with the South African National Action Plan for Orphans

and Other Children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS and the Department of Social Development (DOSD)

Policy Framework and has a good relationship with both the national and provincial DOSDs.

ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS:

ACTIVITY 1: Local Organization Capacity Development

Local organization capacity will be developed through a CBO training and mentoring program. Partner

CBOs are trained and mentored for an 18 month period in OVC care and support, and the provision of

direct services to OVC; also developing and improving organizational capacity. Organizations are taught

how to access and implement services within the frameworks provided by the departments of education,

home affairs and DOSD. E.g., they are taught how to secure school fee exemption, rather than trying to

raise funds for fees; how to apply for and access legal documents and secure grants; rather than directly

paying monthly household expenses/needs. Hands at Work in Africa assists organizations with the

development and use of data collection tools, methods and processes; implementation plans and

subsequent monitoring, evaluation and reporting obligations. In the Training and Mentoring program, CBOs

will be trained in organizational matters such as bookkeeping, proposal and report writing, conflict

mediation, forming linkages and partnerships and establishing relationships with local government

departments and local service providers (treatment sites etc.). Local organization capacity will be developed

further with the training and mentoring of lead Child Care Workers in various organizations.

ACTIVITY 2: Human Capacity Development

Hands At Work will partner with 45 local CBOs to identify, train and mentor caregivers providing direct care

and support services to OVC and their families. Training topics will include basic child care, the role of the

childcare worker, OVC selection criteria and community care forums; minimizing discrimination and stigma,

HIV prevention, children issues, promoting gender equality, child rights and protection; and caregiver

participation in service delivery. Caregivers will also be trained to identify cases of vulnerability, abuse, ill

health and HIV and AIDS infection and referral mechanisms. In addition, caregivers will receive training and

support on family-centered care including basic parenting skills, nutrition counseling and food gardening

and health. Hands At Work will support local CBOs to develop caregiver support groups, led by senior

caregivers, to facilitate peer-to-peer support and information dissemination. Child care workers will also be

the first link to ensure M&E data capturing and integrity. Each child care workers will be mentored on

appropriate case management including documentation.

ACTIVITY 3: Psychosocial Support

Hands At Work will provide training and support to local CBO partners to provide a targeted psychosocial

support to OVC and their families. Psychosocial support activities will include the provision of one-on-one

counseling, group counseling (support groups), play therapy at care centers, and age-appropriate

development programs such as youth camps (based on Survive Your Life and Better Choice curricula) and

life-skills training. In addition, child-headed households (CHH) will receive training in grief managment,

sexuality and HIV prevention. Support groups will also be formed for members of these households to

provide ongoing counseling and support.

ACTIVITY 4: Educational Support.

Hands At Work's community care centers are multi-purpose centers based in the community and used for

pre-school training for OVC and HIV-infected infants (0-5yrs), after-school care and homework tutoring, and

nutritional support for CHH. All the centers follow a set, pre-school curriculum to ensure that OVC are

adequately prepared for entry into primary school. Hands at Work works closely with the Department of

Education to ensure every OVC is enrolled in school and exempted from school fees. Academic assistance

and homework support will be facilitated at care centers by qualified teachers and volunteers, with a focus

on English and mathematics. Care centers are also places of safety for OVC. All school going CHH OVC

within the area of a care center will also receive nutritional counseling and a cooked meal (provided with

non-PEPFAR funding) at the care centers. Food parcels (sourced through public-private partnerships) will

also be provided to those children in need.

Activity Narrative:

ACTIVITY 5: Health

Workshops on HIV and AIDS information and education will be held with all the OVC above 10 years. All

the OVC will be de-wormed at least once with assistance from the local health clinic. Health Care and home

visits are provided to the OVC by the Home-based Care staff funded by other Hands at Work donors. The

CBOs link OVC with health services including screening, immunizations and where needed home-based

care services (varying from adherence monitoring, basic wound care to cleaning) as well as pediatric testing

for infants and VCT for older OVC.

ACTIVITY 6: Legal Assistance and Economic Support

A birth certificate and identity document drive will enable social workers (who are employed to facilitate this

intervention) to apply for government social grants for OVC who qualify for them. This intervention will assist

government to fulfill their mandate as stipulated in the Department of Social Development's Strategic

Framework. Blankets will be distributed to all the new OVC registered after October 2008.

Hands at Work will support skills training for older OVC and income generating activities for caregivers, to

bring revenue and new skills that contribute to reducing the susceptibility of OVC and their caregivers to HIV

infection.

ACTIVITY 7: Nutritional Support

Active support will be given to ensure that food gardens provide fresh produce to supplement monthly food

parcels, and supply soup kitchens for daily meals provided to pre- and school going OVC at care centers.

Provision of monthly food parcels is a wrap around activity funded through national and local business

partnerships. Soya porridge is distributed to severely malnourished OVC as part of an emergency feeding

scheme funded from non-PEPFAR sources. Nutritional education training will be given to OVC-headed

households and caregivers to assist in improving OVC nutritional status by covering topics such as healthy

food choices, food preparation and storage.

ACTIVITY 8: Prevention Education

HIV Prevention and protection training will be provided to child-headed households, primary caregivers

(PCG), and OVC The training will focus on core themes such as life skills, gender equality, child protection

with the view to reduce violence and coercion, sexuality, HIV and AIDS and reproductive health. The youth

development programs, Survive Your Life, Better Choices and young moms focuses particularly on

abstinence and faithfulness. The young mom program is focused on integrating the girls back into the

education system while supporting them in caring for their babies.

Hands at Work contributes to the PEPFAR 2-7-10 goals of caring for 10 million people including OVC by

strengthening the community-based network for OVC care and support in an accountable and sustainable

way.